


Once Upon A Dream

by kelex



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-24
Updated: 2015-08-24
Packaged: 2018-04-17 02:23:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,404
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4648641
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kelex/pseuds/kelex
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>I walked with you once upon a dream, and you showed me the way back to you.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Once Upon A Dream

**Author's Note:**

  * For [the_untempered_prism](https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_untempered_prism/gifts).



> Post-Doomsday reunion fic. 
> 
> Also, it goes with the idea that Rose kinda fibbed to the Doctor on the beach and said the baby was Jackie's when it was actually hers. 
> 
> Lastly, I did just enough science research to make it _sound_ logical. I can pretty much guarantee it's all phlebotinum and jargon. 
> 
> _The Places You'll Go_ belongs to Dr. Seuss and his publishers, not me. Fair use only, no infringement on anyone's rights intended.

"No, Rose, come in! You're exactly what I need; come here!" The Doctor took Rose's hand and pulled her into the workshop.

She'd only been passing by, on the way to the library. She wanted to return _A Quirk In Time_ and was hoping to find _Petrichor Nights_ or one of the other Andraxi Trayfax novels. Instead, she was being waylaid by her lovely mad Doctor. "Oh, all right. What for now?"

"I need another set of hands, and yours are the perfect size. I'm building an artron collector, and I need you to hold the compressors and the basin globe while I reset the ratios and bind the globe to the scrubbers."

Rose blinked, because she was rather used to her Doctor pointing and saying, "that one there, with the pointy bit on the end," not a detailed explanation. "What's an artron?" she asked, holding the globe in one hand and three little gizmos in the other.

"Artron is a kind of energy that exists around time travelers," the Doctor explained. "Time Lords use it when we regenerate; humans get stronger. The artron energy enhances your antibodies, makes you stronger. Remember when you touched van Stratton's Dalek? It was your collected artron energy it used to rejuvenate itself. The longer you travel in the TARDIS, the more artron you collect. And, ooh, a child conceived on the TARDIS, don't even want to think about that. That's how the Gallifreyans became Time Lords, exposure to the schism. Here, take this." He held up one of the gizmos. "That's a compressor, they go here around the collar, and this is where the scrubbers attach."

Rose obediently held each piece in place while the Doctor soniced them. "Why are you tellin' me all this?"

"Because you'll need to know how to build one," he explained simply. "The ratio is 3:1000, that's vitally important. That'll create a frequency that's almost identical to the TARDIS, and I can find you through that signal."

"Find me? Doctor, I'm right here." She gave a little wave with her left hand, since he'd taken the compressor bits from her.

"Oh… oh, Rose, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. You don't know." The Doctor's face looked sorrowful, and every hour of his nine hundred years lined his face. "You're dreaming, Rose. I'm leaving messages in your subconscious, but this is just a dream."

"No," Rose said stubbornly, and put the artron globe on the nearest flat surface. She touched the Doctor with both hands, one stroking his chest and feeling the double heartbeat while the other cupped his face. "This is real, see? I feel you, you're right here, we're together." Her fingers fisted in the smooth silk of his tie and his shirt. 

A long, shuddering sigh escaped the Doctor as he turned his face into Rose's hand. He kissed the palm softly, and closed his eyes to luxuriate in the brief moment of contact.

"Rose!" 

Jackie's voice sounded faintly, and the Doctor's eyes opened. Both his hands came up to catch Rose's as it fell from his face. 

A sick feeling burned in the pit of Rose's stomach at the sound of her mother's voice. "No, please, Doctor, please, take me with you!" she pled, clinging desperately to his hands even as Jackie's voice got louder and the dream started to collapse. "Doctor!"

"Remember, Rose! Build the artron collector! I'll come for you!" His voice had faded to a reedy whisper, faint and far away. "Ratio 3:1000!"

"Three to one-thousand!" Rose was shouting at the top of her lungs as she woke up alone, in Pete's World, in her bedroom in Peter Tyler's mansion.

"Three to a thousand what?" Jackie Tyler was standing in the doorway, waiting for Rose to wake up. "Better get a shift on, you're gonna be late to the doctor."

Breathing deeply, a six-month pregnant Rose wallowed out of bed, a hand going to the small of her back. "Tell Dad we're coming by after, and I'm going to need help. Get Mickey, if he's around, and somebody from UNIT science to meet me at the old Cybus laboratory on St. Katherine's and the A100."

"Rose, what are you on about?" Jackie hurried into the room to steady her daughter. "What's three to a thousand?"

"I'm going to build an artron energy collector," Rose stated confidently. "The control ratio is three clicks to a thousand, and it's going to collect artron energy from the background radiation and emit a tracking frequency that the TARDIS can find," she finished up. "The Doctor left me a message up here," she added, tapping the side of her head. "Instructions and everything." 

Jackie opened her mouth to protest, but closed it quickly. She'd seen firsthand how much Rose loved the Doctor, and how much he loved her in return when he'd given her up to her family. "All right, but let's get you dressed. I'll call Pete when we're on the way." Even though Rose called him Dad, Jackie couldn't quite.

"Just so long as he's there." Rose's determination was obvious.

\-----

"Rose needs _what!?_ " Pete sputtered. He honestly couldn't comprehend that Rose--his Rose, for all intents his daughter--was requesting "…a full UNIT science team and access to the St. Katherine's lab?"

"Yeah, and Mickey Smith, don't go forgettin' him, you lump," Jackie scolded. 

"Well, he and Shaun ain't back yet, she'll have to do without. But!" Pete quickly backpedaled at Jackie's outraged huff. "I'll give him a ring and get him back quick, shall I?"

"Yes you will!" Her voice promised rage next time she laid eyes on him. "We just got to Dr. Nettan's office, so quick as you like!"

Pete winced at the click in his ear as she hung up on him. He popped the earphone out, rubbed his ear, and then popped it back in to call the head of Security. "Look, bring me up the keys to the St. Katherine's facility, and make sure all the codes are updated. We're opening it up for a joint project with UNIT." A pause. "Oh, and give bloody Torchwood a ring, we don't want them getting involved." The security officer gave Pete an affirmative, and Pete sighed. Another moment passed as he spun through his Rolodex of government contacts, and stopped at the card labeled UNIT.

\-----

Rose tottered out of the doctor's office, glowing happily. She was going to have a boy, and he was--according to the ultrasound--"healthy as a horse." At 26 weeks, they'd given her a 3D sonogram, which she kept in her wallet with all the other sonograms she'd been given, checked her blood count and blood pressure, and had hooked her up to a magnesium IV as a precautionary measure against preeclampsia. 

She was beaming at Pete as he waited for her by the open car door. "Look, it's your grandson!" Rose flung the sonogram photo at him as she hugged his waist. 

"Look at that handsome bloke!" Pete had been trying to stay detached from both Rose and the baby, but he'd failed utterly on both counts. He didn't want to think about Rose leaving. "So, we're off to do some science, yeah?"

"You got it," Rose confirmed as Pete helped her into the car. "I got the schematics and everything loaded into my head by the Doctor, down to the frequency." She gave a sigh as the bucket seat cradled her tired back. 

"If you're sure," Pete answered diplomatically, and got into the driver's seat. "Jacks is off to do a bit of shopping for the baby." A barely noticeable pause. "You deciding on a name?"

"That's up to his dad," Rose answered firmly, certain in the feeling she'd be back with the Doctor before the baby was born. 

Pete didn't push.

\-----

They were back in the TARDIS workshop, and this time Rose knew she was dreaming, mainly because she wasn't big as a bloody house. And she didn't waste any time, either, just running full-tilt towards her Doctor. 

And the Doctor was prepared, catching Rose as quickly as she got to him and lifted her off the ground. She giggled in his ear, and his beaming smile was bright enough to illuminate the entire TARDIS. "Rose." 

Her name was all she let him get out before she kissed him. Her fingers went into his hair and tugged him in close, and his arms wrapped around her. Their bodies molded together until clothes were the only barrier between them, and in their kisses they shared the same breaths. Small, nibbling kisses to her lips alternated with soul-deep meldings of their mouths.

Breathless and panting, Rose finally broke the kisses that she'd initiated, and rested her forehead against the Doctor's. He looked to be in a blissful stupor, eyes half-closed and mouth barely open so that his tongue could taste the last traces of Rose on his lips. It made her grin, hugely, to affect her Doctor like that. "Miss me, I take it?"

The Doctor cleared his throat with a little cough as his cheeks flushed. "Oh, yes, yeah, you could say that, yes." Another little cough. "How's the artron collector coming along?"

At that, Rose heaved a sigh. "Well, we don't exactly have a sonic screwdriver, so we're having a bit of trouble fixing the compressors to the collar without melting the interfaces." 

The Doctor's face fell. "Did you try resistance soldering?"

Rose confirmed it. "Cold soldering was better, but it's the solder itself that's too hot. And we can't exactly slap them on with Plasticene."

Grumbling, the Doctor turned and started digging around aimlessly while he thought. Rose occupied herself by watching and rubbing the Doctor's back through the suit coat. 

A coil of silver wire hit the floor and rolled, and he whirled on Rose. "That's it! Silver conductive epoxy! It's best used with fine electronics, and doesn't require heat for bonding or curing!"

"Are you sure? Enid said to try… um, she said conduction glue, I think, and Rogers said it wouldn't be shock resistant enough." Rose scrunched her face as she tried to remember the issues in question. 

"Well… he's right. No, he's wrong. Well, he's right _and_ he's wrong. A non-silver epoxy wouldn't work, not with the high levels of artron energy we're dealing with. But silver epoxy, especially a high conductivity silver, will do the job without melting the compressors."

"Silver high-conduction epoxy," she repeated, making sure she didn't forget it. 

"As soon as it's finished, you'll need to activate it with a surge of artron energy. You should have enough of it built up in your body--touch the globe. That doesn't work, get Mickey the idiot to put his hand on it at the same time. You're both time-travelers, but you've been doing it a lot longer. You should be more than enough."

"After it's activated, how long?" That was the important question. 

"Oh, not long. A month, just about, to get the signal strong enough to reach the TARDIS, and after that… ooooh, a few hours on my end to lock on and break a hole in the wall big enough for the TARDIS to get through." He grinned at that. "Pack your bags, Rose Tyler."

She answered his grin with one of his own, and they just had time for one more kiss before the alarm clock woke Rose up from her lovely dream. 

\-----

"High-conduction silver epoxy," Rose reported, clutching the cell phone to her ear. "It should provide plenty of conduction without melting the compressors."

"I said so!" crowed Enid, and Rose heard clapping scattered in the background. "Blimey, I can't wait to meet your Doctor bloke."

"He'll probably want to meet you all, and then end up insulting you," Rose warned. "He likes us, humans, but sometimes it just… slips out."

Enid just laughed. "Well, we've got to be off, Miss. We're off to find the epoxy, and we best not see you before lunch, now. You need to get some rest and take care of the little one." 

"Yes ma'am. Can I talk to the captain, please?"

The line went quiet until, "Captain Magambo, Miss Tyler."

"I asked you to call me Rose. The Doctor told me how to activate the artron collector and how long it would take. I need your help, because Pete called Mickey and can't find him."

"We've got him and his group on an unofficial mission right now, but I'll have him recalled straight away," the captain promised. "As soon as we can get him out safely."

"That's great, thanks! Thank you, Captain Magambo." After the captain hung up, Rose flumped backwards on her pillows. She had a certified excuse from Dr. Nettan to be a basic lazy lump for the next ten weeks, but Rose was not lump material. 

Giving herself five minutes of laziness, Rose laboriously hoisted herself out of bed and got into the shower. The hot water was a relief that made her groan as it cascaded over her already-tired body. And it was barely after breakfast. 

This did not bode well for the rest of the day. 

\-----

It was past tea-time when Rose finally made it into the lab. A great cheering was echoing from the main first-floor workroom and she quickened her pace. The doors were opened, and she leaned against the door frame. 

On the big wall-sized screen, the words _System Functional_ blinked steadily. 

"You did it!" Rose was beaming, leaning heavily against the door in disbelief. Suddenly she was surrounded, being cheered and patted and slapped on the back like she was captain of the football team. 

"Rose, we did it!" Enid Fairburke was lead scientist on the project, and bouncing on her toes beside Rose. "The epoxy cured with help from a heat bun, which bonded the compressors without damaging the delicates! All three are on the globe collar and they're working!"

"What about the scrubbers? They on yet?" Rose was excited. 

"No, we're starting them this afternoon. We tried attaching the scrubbers first, but they were too heavy for the epoxy. It should take us a couple of days, tops. And Captain Magambo called and said that a…" Enid dug in her pockets for the message. "…Mickey Smith would be here in four days. What's he, then, another specialist?"

Rose beamed. "My best mate. I don't go anywhere without my Mickey." Because it just seemed wrong and dismissive to think of him as just a backup plan. "What do you need from me today?"

"At the mo, Miss? Nothin' I can think of. We tested the scrubbers already and they work a treat. We can still connect them using the silver epoxy, and after that, they'll just have to cure naturally. And then it's just figuring out how to start the thing and tune up the compression ratio." 

Rose reached out to pat the other woman's hand. "Don't you worry, I know how to get it started. You sort out your end and I'll take care of the rest." A giggle, and if she hadn't been a land whale, she'd have twirled.

\-----

They were meeting in her dreams almost every night, now. The Doctor pretended, at first, that it was just to check on the progress of the machine. But his beautiful, brilliant, no-nonsense Rose sussed it out instantly. 

_"I know what you're up to, Doctor," said with her usual grin, playful tongue touching her lips just to tease him._

_"Up to?" The Doctor tried to look innocent, but Rose had him in her sights._

_"You just want to see me because you miss me." The grin widened, not just because she knew she was right, but because she missed him just as much._

_"Well… yeah. That's right, yeah, I do, but I am--"_

_"Hush, you." And then she'd kissed him again._

Time passed so much quicker in the dreams. Though Rose knew it was all night, it often felt like mere minutes, not even hours. Tonight, though, Rose could tell it was different. The Doctor was waiting for her, perched on the beat-up pilot's chair. She rushed in to hug him, and he held onto her an especially long while. She held on just as tightly, becoming more afraid by the moment. "Doctor? What's wrong, what is it?"

When he answered, Rose almost had to ask him to repeat it. 

But he said it calmly, clearly, and with no great show of emotion. "You have two heartbeats, Rose."

Her breath caught, and she almost felt like she'd been caught stealing as her stomach rolled. "Um, yeah, I have. I'm--"

"I know what it means." There was a tremor in the Doctor's voice, and Rose thought it was anger. "Why… why didn't you tell me, on the beach? You almost said, you said it was Jackie. Didn't you--"

That's when Rose realized the tremor wasn't anger. It was fear, and it was sadness. "You! You said the rift had to close, and I couldn't--how could I tell you and know you'd never--that you couldn't--no!"

"Rose!" The Doctor was reaching out frantically for her, but she was fading out fast. "Rose!" He was trying to keep her in the dream. 

"No!" Rose was still screaming that as she was shaken awake. "Take me back, let me go back!"

"Hey, hey, hold on there! Stop your shouting, please?" Pete was perched on the side of Rose's bed, shaking her shoulders and stroking her hair. "You were crying out in your sleep, and I couldn't stand hearing it."

"I was with the Doctor!" Horrified with herself, Rose broke down into heaving sobs. "He thinks I don't want him to be the baby's father," she choked out, and Pete cradled her as best he could. 

Jackie stood in the bedroom doorway, watching her daughter devolve into a wet, weepy mess. "I'll go put the kettle on," she offered after a moment, knowing sleep was lost for the night. 

"Yeah, thanks. We'll be down in a bit, Jacks." Pete just rocked Rose against his shoulder. 

"Take your time." Jackie knew from experience that this kind of hormonally-driven emotional outburst could take a while.

\-----

It took an hour and two pots of tea before Rose was calm enough to make sense. She had poured out everything, including "…and now he thinks I wasn't pleased, he thinks I thought he'd be a horrible dad, but I know he'll be great! But he said, he said there was no way back, and I didn't want to hurt him, telling him that I've got his baby and he'd never see us again, ever. He'd destroy the universe first and I couldn't let that happen! I couldn't! So I said it was yours, Mum, so it'd be easier on him saying goodbye."

Neither Jackie nor Pete knew what to say to that, but Jackie tried. "Sometimes a lie is kinder than the truth, Rose. But I know that man, and so do you. He'd go right through the gates of Hell itself if it meant you being safe and happy. And we all know he ain't gonna be happy without you in that silly blue box right there with him. So you just go and wash your face now, and try to relax. It's all going to work out." 

"Thanks, Mum." A still-weepy but much calmer Rose hugged her mother tightly before heading slowly to the kitchen sink. 

As water rushed in the sink, Pete looked over at Jackie. "You really think so?" he asked, pitching his voice to be hidden under the water. 

Jackie nodded, though her attention was on Rose. "Yeah. You don't know the man like I do."

Pete thought back to the moment the Doctor had draped the dimension jump around Rose's neck. How hurt, sad, and ultimately blank he'd been when Rose was gone. With that kind of sacrifice came passion, and he sincerely and most certainly did not want to be standing in the Doctor's way. 

Pete was surprised out of his thoughts when Jackie touched his shoulder. "You're doin' fine, you know. Sometimes a girl just needs her dad." 

\-----

Over the next three days, Rose was a barely held together stack of nerves. After her crying fit the first morning, she'd showered and changed clothes, and had done little but sit around the house, flipping through the telly and taking whatever meals and medications that Jackie or Pete put in front of her. 

Mickey got home that evening, and Jackie pulled him aside to fill him in on what was going with Rose and the Doctor and whatever miracle they were building in the laboratory. It was Mickey who'd gotten Rose out of the house that evening for dinner and a trip to the cinema, and it was Mickey who had gotten Rose out of her funk by getting her to explain to him how the artron collector worked. 

He'd deliberately played Mickey the Idiot to get her to laugh and grinned when she smacked him on the arm after she'd caught on to the game. He'd held her hand during the film, a surprisingly good story held over from Christmas about a museum guard and the exhibits coming to life at night. It had made her laugh, too, and that had been his instructions from both Jackie and Pete; _make sure she has a good time tonight, Mickey._.

Neither one mentioned the Doctor once during the whole evening, which was easy for Mickey but he imagined it wasn't easy for Rose. When she'd been with the Doctor, every other word out of her mouth had been "Doctor this" and "Doctor that" and "the Doctor and I." He didn't begrudge it any longer, because after having traveled with them long enough to see just a few of the amazing sights, it made sense as to how that could overwhelm a person. 

But it was almost like it was before the Doctor came; Rose was being Rose, and Mickey was enjoying being around Rose again. She even kissed him on the cheek as they headed into the house--mansion, but she couldn't think of it as that--together and went to their separate bedrooms. 

There was a message for her when she got home, waiting for her on the bedside table. It was from Enid, and when Rose read it, she could almost hear the woman's enthusiasm. _We did it, Miss, we got the scrubbers on! They've got to cure, but we're already getting preliminary readings from the machine! Give it 48 hours to set and run through a prelim cycle, and we'll be ready for you to start it up!_

\-----

That was the first night the Doctor hadn't been waiting for her in her dreams. She didn't even dream of the TARDIS; she didn't know what she dreamed of instead. But they were bland and bleak compared to the ones she'd had with the Doctor, and when she woke, she didn't feel at all rested. 

Two days passed like that, with the days becoming slightly greyed out as she stayed more and more in bed, giving in to the laziness that seemed to dog her every step. Not even Mickey could get her out of bed the second day, or the third day. "I'm tired," was the answer to most everything.

Pete was worried, and was starting to get angry at the Doctor. Jackie was just worried sick, and Mickey was worried about Rose and trying to keep everybody on an even keel. "Don't worry, Jackie, the Doctor won't let her down," was the constant refrain he repeated to Jackie, and to Rose, it was, "A man's ego just needs a bit of fluffing now and then. Let him sulk and he'll crawl back to you. I always did." To Pete, it was, "I know you're her Dad and everything, but alls you can do right now is bring her ice cream and sit in bed with her and read to her. That's what Dads do, and agree with anything she says." 

Which is how Pete ended up sitting in bed beside Rose, with her head on his shoulder while she shoveled in a 500ml tub of Peanut Butter Cup. "Are you sure this is what you want to hear, love?"

"Positive," Rose said around a spoonful.

Pete cleared his throat, looked at the cover of the book doubtfully, and shook his head. "Here goes."

_Congratulations!_  
Today is your day.  
You're off to Great Places!  
You're off and away! 

_You have brains in your head._  
You have feet in your shoes.  
You can steer yourself  
Any direction you choose.  
You're on your own. And you know what you know.  
And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go. 

_You'll look up and down streets. Look 'em over with care._  
About some you will say, "I don't choose to go there."  
With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet,  
You're too smart to go down any not-so-good street. 

_And you may not find any_  
You'll want to go down.  
In that case, of course,  
You'll head straight out of town! 

_It's opener there, in the wide open air._

_Out there things can happen_  
And frequently do  
To people as brainy  
And footsy as you. 

_And then things start to happen,_  
Don't worry, don't stew.  
Just go right along!  
You'll start happening, too! 

_Oh!  
The places you'll go!_

_You'll be on your way up!_  
You'll be seeing great sights!  
You'll join the high fliers  
Who soar to high heights. 

_You won't lag behind, because you'll have the speed._  
You'll pass the whole gang and you'll soon take the lead.  
Wherever you fly, you'll be best of the best.  
Wherever you go, you will top all the rest. 

_Except when you don't,  
Because sometimes you won't._

_I'm sorry to say so,_  
But, sadly, it's true  
That Bang-ups  
And Hang-ups  
Can happen to you. 

_You can get all hung up_  
In a prickly perch.  
And your gang will fly on.  
You'll be left in a Lurch. 

_You'll come down from the Lurch_  
With an unpleasant bump.  
And the chances are, then,  
That you'll be in a Slump. 

_And when you're in a Slump,_  
You're not in for much fun.  
Un-slumping yourself  
Is not easily done. 

_You will come to a place where the streets are not marked._  
Some windows are lighted. But mostly they're darked.  
A place you could sprain both your elbow and chin!  
Do you dare stay out? Do you dare to go in?  
How much can you lose? How much can you win? 

_And if you go in, should you turn left or right…_  
Or right-and-three-quarters? Or maybe, not quite?  
Or go around back and sneak in from behind?  
Simple it's not, I'm afraid you will find,  
For a mind-maker-upper to make up his mind. 

_You can get so confused_  
That you'll start in to race  
Down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace  
And grind on for miles cross weirdish wild space,  
Headed, I fear, towards a most useless place.  
The Waiting Place… 

_…for people just waiting._  
Waiting for a train to go  
Or a bus to come, or a plane to go  
Or the mail to come, or the rain to go  
Or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow  
Or the waiting around for a Yes or No  
Or waiting for their hair to grow.  
Everyone is just waiting. 

_Waiting for the fish to bite_  
Or waiting for the wind to fly a kite  
Or waiting around for Friday night  
Or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake  
Or a pot to boil, or a Better Break  
Or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants  
Or a wig with curls, or Another Chance.  
Everyone is just waiting. 

_No!  
That's not for you!_

_Somehow you'll escape_  
All that waiting and staying  
You'll find the bright places  
Where Boom Bands are playing. 

_With banner flip-flapping,_  
Once more you'll ride high!  
Ready for anything under the sky,  
Ready because you're THAT kind of a guy! 

_Oh, the places you'll go!_

Pete closed the book then, because Rose had closed her eyes. The ice cream and spoon were threatening to roll off the bed and splat on the carpet, and he rescued them before they could fall. He set the book on the bedside table, put the ice cream and spoon right beside it, and snuggled Rose in closer to his side before tucking the blankets up around her growing stomach. "Goodnight, love." 

\-----

Rose hadn't realized that she'd fallen asleep while Pete was reading to her. She'd meant to stay awake and hear every word; she'd never had a chance to be read to by her dad before, and probably wouldn't ever again, not after she left with the Doctor. 

But her body had had other plans, and before he'd gotten halfway through the book, she was nodding off, leaned against his strong shoulder and soft voice leading her straight into rest. 

The Doctor was waiting for her this time, and he ran towards her as soon as he found her. "Rose, are you all right? Are you okay, what's wrong? Why did you leave, what happened?" Concern, bordering on hysteria, and it was the most worked up she'd ever seen the Doctor. 

"I'm fine, Pete just woke me up. He said I was crying and he woke me up, that's all." She didn't hesitate to wrap her arms around the Doctor as tightly as she could, fully intending to never let go. 

"I couldn't find you. I realized you weren't sleeping deep enough, I couldn't access your REM cycle, you haven't been sleeping." His voice was a bit scolding, then. "You should be resting."

"I have been," Rose answered, muffled in his shoulder. "I just fell asleep in a tub of ice cream… God, I hope Dad picks it up before I drop it, it's impossible to get out of the carpet." She giggled. "I was eating ice cream, and Pete was reading to me, and I guess I obviously did fall asleep." 

The Doctor's hand cradled the back of Rose's head. "How far along?"

She didn't have to ask him to clarify. "Almost done, now. Just about eight or nine weeks left to go." She could feel his fingers flex in her hair, and didn't know what that meant. "What? What's that?"

"Don't you wait to wait? Stay there long enough to have your baby, where it's safe? Where Jackie and Pete can see it?"

"It's not an it, it's a him," Rose protested, smacking the Doctor on the shoulder. "He's a beautiful little boy, and no, I don't wait to wait. He should be with his father when he's born."

"Oh, Rose." The Doctor drew in a deep, long breath. "I had a family once. Children, grandchildren. They're gone now. All of them, they're gone. And there's a great big hole in there where they used to be." His voice was quiet, almost breaking. "I can't go through that again. Is he… the doctor's been checking him, yeah? Is he okay?"

Rose nodded. "Yeah, he's fine. Dr. Nettan says he's the healthiest little boy he's seen in a long time. Got a strong heartbeat--just the one, you should know, he's got just the one heart. But his father should be there when he comes out into the world, Doctor." 

"Once you're here, you can't ever go back. I know you think you're fine with that, but when your--when _our_ son is old enough to wonder where his grandparents are, what are you going to tell them? That you chose me over your family?"

"When he asks about his dad, though? Do I tell him that his father let him go? That he could've found me, found us, and chose to leave us here instead because let me tell you something, Doctor, a father is worth a whole lot to a little boy or little girl growing up on the estate. Hearing stories about him is no substitute for him being there," Rose countered, even though she most certainly did not want to be arguing with the Doctor, not now. "And you said yourself, you weren't sure what would happen to a baby that was conceived on the TARDIS, exposed to the time vortex. Well, what about me? I had the vortex inside of me; what if that changes who our baby is? Do I wait for you to wander into my dreams again to ask you why our son is glowing or whatever?"

Closing his eyes, the Doctor rested his cheek on Rose's head. "I don't know." And how hard was it for him to say that. "I just don't know what to do. Tell me, Rose, tell me what you want to do, and I'll do it."

There wasn't even a heartbeat's hesitation to Rose's choice. "Come and get me, Doctor. Come and get us _both._ You said it'd take a month to get the globe fully charged and transmitting, yeah?" At his silent nod, she continued. "Then I've got that long to pack and say goodbye."

"You don't need a cot; I've got one in the attic," he finally said. 

"That's fine, I think Mum's bought one of everything in existence for kids," she sniffled, and rested her cheek on the Doctor's shoulder. 

\-----

Rose placed her palm on the smooth glass globe of the artron collector. It warmed from the heat of her body, and then there was a sudden increase of heat, almost like a stove burner, and she jerked her hand away. There was a split second of glowing handprint _inside_ the globe, and then it dissolved into a faint golden glow.

On the screen behind, a line of numbers flashed, constantly changing, and a graph showed the level of artron having jumped sharply when Rose touched it, and a miniscule growth after that. 

_System functional. Artron collection in progress. 0.01% collected. Frequency steady at 3:1000 clicks._

Rose's hand fell to her stomach, as the life inside her seemed to be doing somersaults in her belly as the artron energy surged through the globe and her body as well. 

"Little one moving?" Enid was sharp-eyed as always, and she guided Rose to a nearby chair. 

"Like a gymnast," she agreed, and brought Enid's hand to rest against her stomach. 

"Hey, he is moving in there!" Enid enthused with a smile, feeling the baby kick and twitch. 

Several other people in the laboratory moved up behind Enid, and Rose welcomed each hand, guiding them to best feel the baby moving inside of her. "He's the one we're doing this for," she said several times, and then when she was alone, she gently stroked her stomach. "Hear that, lad? We're doing all of this for you, so you and I can be with your father." 

The child seemed to hear, and kicked particularly firmly in reply. Rose just grinned.

\-----

"The baby's kicking like a monster now," Rose reported to the Doctor. Somehow in her dreams, she'd started to show how big she was, and the Doctor's hand rested on her stomach. "He seemed to wake up when I started the collector, and he's kicked like a mule ever since."

The Doctor just smiled. "Yeah, I probably should have warned you about that. Babies like artron energy, they respond to it. Kids, too, that's why Time Lords are taken at the age of 8 and exposed to the untempered schism, the break in reality that gazes right into the Vortex. I ran away, of course, but the artron already had hold of me." 

"He's wearing me out, is what he's doing," Rose complained, but she didn't seem upset or angry in the least. "Dr. Nettan thinks it's great, he's doing wonderfully. He's getting big and strong, but if he gets much bigger…" she shuddered at the thought. 

For his part, the Doctor cringed. "Yeah, I can't imagine. I'd… stay away from the lab, if I were you. You've done your bits, the rest is up to me and time. I'm already getting faint traces, but nothing I can pinpoint."

"Yeah, before I left for the day, it was up to about three percent of capacity," Rose agreed, happy for the subject change. "Enid and Rogers seem to think it'll ramp up each day, accumulate more faster the longer it's charging."

"Well, they're not wrong," The Doctor exhaled after a long stretch. "Artron likes to build up, and the more that collects, the more it'll build up. Once you hit twenty, twenty-five percent, you ought to see it jump quickly after that. Should hit twenty around the end of the week, and double that by the end of next week. Once you hit seventy-five, though, that's getting near critical mass, and it'll start to slow down a bit. Anywhere from eighty-five, I can start to pick up, though I need a really strong signal to follow back."

"UNIT and Torchwood, they're worried about this whole, punching a hole between dimensions thing," Rose added reluctantly. "They want to know if we'll be able to seal it back up after we go, or if it's going to be there forever."

"No, we'll close it up, but it'll be like scar tissue. If there's ever another break, it'll be there. Wouldn't hurt Torchwood to keep an eye on it. Give them something to do with their time other than being prats." Why yes, he did still blame Torchwood for what happened, no matter what world they were in.

Rose put her hand over the Doctor's, so that both of them could feel their child moving. "You'll still come here like this, won't you? Even though all the technical stuff is done and there's nothing else to check on? You'll still come, right?"

The Doctor moved to angle his head straight into Rose's eyeline, and he was serious when he spoke to her. "Of course I'll come. Nothing is going to keep me away."

\-----

And the Doctor was as good as his word. Three nights they met in the TARDIS control room; on the second, there was a comfortable couch, squashy and yet firm enough to sooth tired muscles. Third night, it was big enough for both of them to cuddle together and have enough room for a third person besides. And it was on this couch where they had all their conversations. 

Like this one.

"My dad's been asking what his name's going to be. I told him, it's up to you, cause you're his dad. You should have a say."

The Doctor just shook his head while he played absently with Rose's hair. "No, I don't have any ideas."

"Well, we're not namin' him Doctor," Rose replied, only half-serious but mostly teasing. "What was the name of your planet, again?"

"Gallifrey, and we're not calling him that." But the Doctor was still quiet, pensive even.

"Doctor?" Rose urged quietly. "What's wrong?" Because she could tell something was preoccupying her Doctor.

To say _nothing_ was to imply there were secrets between them, but to bring up others he'd traveled with upset Rose, which he didn't want to do. "Could go literary, I suppose."

Rose wrinkled her nose. "What, like Sherlock Holmes? I'm not callin' my baby Sherlock!"

A little grin. "Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore?"

That suggestion earned him a slap to the arm, even though Rose was laughing. "No way! No Harry Potter! They're all too weird."

Then she definitely wouldn't want anything Gallifreyan. "Adric," though, slipped out before he could stop it.

Rose mulled it over, mouthing the name silently a few times. "Who's Adric?" she finally asked.

"A friend--he died, and I couldn't save him. Like you, he saw me regenerate. He liked the old face better, and let me know it, too. And he really didn't like it when I had other friends along for the ride. The Cybermen, they didn't upgrade him, but they killed him anyway." He could still remember that damn star medal, and that silly pirate costume. 

Rose frowned, in empathy and not displeasure. "I'm sorry, Doctor," she murmured honestly, fingertips stroking the back of his hands, trying to offer a bit of comfort. 

"Thank you," he said, and meant that deeply, and turned his hand over so that his fingers linked with Rose. It was through the tightness of his grip, the almost-desperateness of the squeeze, that communicated more than his words ever could.

Rose was going to say more but she heard a faint beeping, which was her alarm going off. "We'll finish this tomorrow night," she promised. 

They wouldn't get the chance.

\-----

Rose was in the kitchen a few hours later when it started. Pete was working at the lab, overseeing what Rose no longer could, and Jackie was out on the patio with a cuppa and the daily download on her phone screen. Rose was making tea for herself, fully intending to join her mother outside, when she heard it.

A _pop_ , like when Mickey cracked his knuckles, and a wet warmth trickled between her legs. A few seconds later, Rose's teacup hig the floor as the first contraction hit. "Mum!"

Jackie jumped out of her chair at Rose's shrill scream. "Rose!" Dashing inside, she found Rose standing in a puddle and holding onto the counter as contractions hit. "Oh my Lord, Rose, not yet!"

"Not like I can choose!" Rose panted out painfully. "Call the bleeding ambulance!"

\-----

Dr. Nettan was standing just outside Rose's birthing suite with her parents. "She's dilating surprisingly slowly," she reported. "Rose is barely five centimeters, and it's been close to eight hours already. We could be looking at another six to eight hours for full dilation, and several more after that for the actual delivery. We've given her an epidural already, but we've got the same anesthetist standing by in case we need to upgrade to a continuous catheter instead of the top-offs." A brief glance at Rose over her father's shoulder. "Will the father be here?"

Pete and Jackie traded one long, silent look. "No, we don't think so. He's out of town and the baby's early…" Pete trailed off and looked at Rose. "Best get back in there before she kills Mickey."

"Oi, lump, don't you be tellin' her what the doctor said. Just make sure she's doing her breathing." Jackie shook her finger threateningly at her husband. 

"Right--hey, where you goin'?"

Jackie gripped her cell phone tightly. "I got a call to make."

\-----

Down in the lobby, Jackie sat on the edge of one of the outside benches. She stared at her mobile screen, started at a number marked TARDIS, stolen from her daughter's mobile in another dimension a long time ago. 

She'd watched Rose dial it daily, fruitlessly, until she'd cried from frustration over it. 

Jackie rubbed her thumb over the screen, bit her lower lip, and hit send. 

Nothing. No ringing, no busy tone, not even an operator's voice. Just …dead air. Undeterred, Jackie tried again and again, dialing repeatedly.

\-----

Back on the TARDIS, the Doctor was working at the console, mainly watching the scanner. The influx of artron energy was growing at roughly the same pace he'd predicted to Rose, and as soon as the emissions hit 25%, he was going to surprise her--with a phone call. 

Microfissures were already starting to form in the dimensional walls, and a 25% charge would force them to open enough to let the TARDIS push an audio signal through, maybe even a hologram. But he knew audio would go for certain, and so that's what he was preparing for. 

Trying to force anything else through would cause what could be irreparable harm to the dimensional walls, let anything cross from world to world without control. And so he was careful not to exert too much pressure on the microfissures. Too much, and it'd crack like eggshells. 

A beeping let him know the threshold had been reached, and he felt a sudden glee overtake him. Butterflies danced in his stomach as he began flipping switches, but before he was done, his console rang loudly.

Astounded, the Doctor answered, voice full of astonishment and disbelief with a fair dose of trepidation. "…Hello?" He was almost hoping for Rose's voice, though he wasn't at all certain. 

"Doctor! Oh my God, it's you! I'd know that voice--where the hell are you, mate? My Rose is havin' _your_ baby--and you haven't heard half of that, mind you--and you're nowhere to be found! Well?" Jackie couldn't believe the call had gone through. 

The Doctor was all agog, trying to follow the conversation and process that it was, in fact, Jackie Tyler and not Rose, and that--"Hang on, you said Rose is having the baby _now_!?"

"Yes, you git, she's having it now! Get your skinny… get here right now!" Oi, that Doctor could be thick sometimes.

"Unless you've got a cosmic wrecking ball in your pocket, this is it." The Doctor gripped the console so tightly the metal bit into his palms. "I can't, Jackie."

"Yes you bloody well can, and you better, is what! Your son is coming into this world, and you best get here for him and for his mum!"

The Doctor banged his fist against the console, and the cloister bell alarm began to toll as it read his intentions in his mind. 

"What's that racket?" Jackie demanded.

"Never you mind," the Doctor snapped. "You just keep that line open, and talk!"

"About what?"

The Doctor was spinning around the console room like a dervish, punching buttons and slamming levers. "Jackie Tyler, I have faith in you, that you can keep talking until I get there. I'm turning off every safeguard and draining every spare bit of energy the TARDIS can scrape together for me so we can force the microfissures to crack under pressure and let me through. And for that to work, I have to lock onto something, and that something is your mobile signal. So for the last time, Jackie Tyler, _TALK._."

He'd shouted the last word at her, and she was stunned into a momentary silence. But she immediately regained her senses, and started talking. Well, shouting. But it worked. "Well, how do you like that. Mister High and Mighty himself, usually telling me to shut up. Now his lordship wants me to talk, does he? Well, I got news for you, Doctor…"

The Doctor paid no attention to what Jackie was saying, only that she was keeping the mobile signal open and steady. The TARDIS was fighting him tooth and nail, and even with the extrapolator shielding on maximum, it was going to be a rough and potentially one-way trip. But Jackie was right. If he could fly into the center of the Dalek battle fleet to rescue Rose, a dimensional wall posed no more resistance to his will than wet tissue paper.

And tore just as easily.

The Vortex itself seemed to scream in agony as he used the TARDIS to chew through it. The console sparked as circuit boards blew out, and the smell of burnt wires and fried connections was thick as the smoke he batted out of his face. 

Suddenly the TARDIS made it out of the Vortex, and it began to freefall. Nearly all of its power was depleted; he'd kept just enough in reserve to keep the dampeners working so he'd land in one piece. Losing his footing, the Doctor was thrown about like a rag doll in the spinning TARDIS, and hit the floor with a grunt.

The TARDIS itself groaned once, then tolled once before going dark. The console was still blinking intermittently, and Jackie's voice was garbled by static. Groaning, the Doctor grabbed onto the console and pulled himself to his feet. "Oof, I'm sorry, but Rose needs us. I had to get to her. You and me and her, just like it should be, right?"

Unable to answer vocally, the TARDIS shone a feeble green light from the engine column to show that she was not totally dead, just weak. 

After a moment to gather himself, the Doctor walked unsteadily down the ramp and pushed open the doors. The TARDIS had landed in a hospital courtyard, and--yes! There was Jackie Tyler, running to meet him. "Jackie Tyler, I--what was that for!?"

Jackie's palm connected to the side of the Doctor's face with a loud crack. "That's for what you put Rose through, abandoning her like you did!" Then she threw her arms around him and hugged him so tightly his ribs creaked. "And I've never been happier to see anyone in my life, you utter lunatic."

The Doctor couldn't keep up, didn't even try, but he hugged anyway. "So I guess you're glad to see me, eh?"

Jackie shoved away at that. "Glad? Of course not! You're taking my daughter and my grandson away and I'll never see them again!"

"But--" Mystified, he was."

"Oh, never mind, just shift already." Jackie put her hands in the small of the Doctor's back and pushed. "Come on, Rose is waiting."

"Keep her windows closed. Don't let her look at the stars tonight, not until I can get back, all right? Don't want her to see what kind of hole I punched in the universe getting here until I know I can fix it." 

Jackie didn't look at all distressed at the idea of Rose and the Doctor being trapped in there with her forever. She'd get to help raise her grandbaby, maybe even get a couple more. "All right, okay, fine, just get moving!" 

The Doctor let himself be led around the hospital, through labyrinthine corridors and long hallways. Several times he flashed the psychic paper in lieu of a visitor's badge, simply because he didn't take the time to log in and get one. One time, Jackie snuck a peek at the paper and was surprised to see an actual badge with the Doctor's picture and the name _John Smith, M.D._ on it. "You're a real doctor?"

"Real enough," the Doctor answered, pocketing the paper and hesitating outside Rose's closed room. He could hear her in agony already, and he put his palm flat on the door. "You want to prepare her first?"

"Sure." Jackie elbowed past the Doctor. "Rose! Got a visitor for you! There, she's prepared." She held the door open, and nearly pushed the Doctor in the room. 

"Tell 'em to go away!" Rose sounded pained, almost agonized, and the Doctor couldn't help responding to that. 

"Now that's not a nice thing to say. Rose Tyler, I'm surprised at you." He gave Pete a little wave in the corner. "Hello, Pete!" 

"Doctor!?" Rose pushed up on her elbows, shuddering through another contraction as she looked from her Doctor to her father. "Dad, is he really standin' there or is it the drugs?" 

The Doctor came over and took Rose's hand, squeezing it tightly. "I'm here. No dreams, no imagination, nothing. I'm real, real as you are, right here." His other hand splayed out gently over her temple, and he connected with her mind enough to siphon off the worst of the pain and took it into himself. He could feel the contractions wracking through him, but the pain of regeneration was no worse, just somehow quite different. But for Rose, he could take it and pretend there was nothing. "See?" Leaning over, he kissed her forehead. "You think I'd miss this just cause you couldn't wait?"

Rose gave a weak laugh, but relaxed back on the bed now that she wasn't feeling like her body was squeezing itself to death. "I knew you'd get here, Doctor."

"Well, might have to do a bit of a patch up job later, but nothing we can't take care of ourselves, when you're feeling better." And that was enough of that. "Tell me, how's it going? What all did I miss?"

\-----

"All right, Rose, you're through the worst of it, just breathe for a moment." Dr. Nettan was positioned between Rose's legs. "You're fully dilated now, and the baby's moving into position. Your boy's ready to come out and see his mum and dad, now." One palm rested on Rose's belly, feeling the contractions and the position of the baby. "Now, you're going to want to push, but not until I say, all right?" 

Rose was nearly exhausted, and honestly, if the Doctor hadn't been by her side, she wasn't sure she'd have enough strength to push. But he seemed to be an endless wellspring of strength and energy, and he shared it with her, much as he could. "All right, you're the doctor, Doctor." 

"Oi now, that's my job," teased Rose's Doctor. 

Dr. Nettan spared him a laugh, but was concentrating more on Rose. "Didn't mean to ruffle your feathers there, Doctor Smith." 

"He's just jealous," Rose teased, eyes on the Doctor. 

"Course I am, what with a lady beautiful as you." He stroked through her hair, keeping the sweaty strands off her face as she smiled up at him. "Couldn't let you down, could I?" he timed his next words for the next contraction. "I love you, Rose Tyler." 

The contraction passed quickly, and Rose barely felt it as she focused on the Doctor. 

"Rose, push!"

Rose squeezed the Doctor's hand tightly, screaming breathlessly as she pushed down. A clamor raised in the background, as nurses rushed forward with blankets and wet cloths, a smack of hand on a bare baby backside, and a loud, lusty baby's cry. 

"Congratulations, Miss Tyler, Dr. Smith! It's a boy!" Dr. Nettan let the nurses wipe the blood and mucus, amniotic fluid and everything else off the small infant as it cried in the sterile air. 

Rose was weeping, and the Doctor was leaned over her, smiling wide-eyed and stunned as the blanket-wrapped bundle was placed on her chest. "Oh my God, Doctor, it's a boy," she said through her tears, and she couldn't stop herself counting. One-two-three-four-five, six-seven-eight-nine-ten perfect little fingers, one-two-three-four-five, six-seven-eight-nine-ten perfect little toes, and--"He's gonna be ginger, look!" 

"Would you take a look at that!" The Doctor gently ran his fingers through the newborn's hair, and it was certainly red as any he'd ever seen. "I've always wanted to be a ginger!"

"Well, looks like the baby's going to be, if he keeps it." Rose looked through the suite window at Pete, who was thinning and balding, but definitely reddish. "Taking after Granddad." 

Just then, the baby let out a single, piercing loud cry before going back to the quiet, snuffly cries. "And your mum," the Doctor said, rubbing the baby's hand with a fingertip. 

"Oi, you." Rose just held the baby closer to her chest. "Hello there, beautiful boy. I'm Rose, I'm your Mum." 

A cry, and a gurgle. "Oh, I know, I know. Mum is the best."

"What?" Rose looked at the Doctor like he'd grown a second head--not an impossible thought by any means. 

"I speak baby."

\-----

Both Rose and baby were cleaned up and back in the birthing suite bed. The baby was having his dinner, and Rose's tray was waiting on the table by the window. An unlit candlestick was there, and somewhere the Doctor had managed to find a checkered tablecloth. 

"I know you're just waiting," Rose teased as the Doctor watched their son finish his dinner. 

"Well, someone's got to hold him while you have something to eat," he pointed out pragmatically. But he wouldn't admit that his arms were itching to cradle that baby--his son. Just to reassure himself that yes, the child was real. That this wasn't some cruel dream.

"He's going to throw up on your shoulder," she warned.

"I've burped children before, besides, the TARDIS dry cleans." He held both arms out for the baby. Not impatiently, not really.

Rose's eyes sparkled as the baby finished eating. "Just warnin' you. Everybody's gonna know that you're a new Dad with spit-up on your shoulder."

He didn't even care, just held out his arms patiently. 

With a grin--and a hungry rumble in her stomach--Rose carefully passed the baby over to the Doctor, and helped him settle in. Then she moved over to the table--only a couple of steps, about all she was capable of, and dug in. 

Closing his eyes, the Doctor sighed softly. The baby was soft and warm, the blanket keeping that warmth in even as he generated body heat that spread through the Doctor's shoulder. One large hand cradled a delicate head while the other gently rubbed his back, helping new lungs learn to expel gas--"oh, there we go, that was a good one!" 

Didn't even care that a trickle of milk had come up with that resounding burp. 

"Oi, pass my grandson over." Jackie and Pete were barging into the suite, Jackie reaching for the baby while Pete carried in balloons, flowers, a teddy bear for Rose, and soft new blankets for the baby.

Rose had the fleeting thought that her son was never going to know what it was to sleep in a cot until they were on the TARDIS, because between the Doctor, Jackie, and Pete, he was going to get passed about like a party favor. "Hey, now, he's the Dad. Respect the Dad, right?"

"Right," Pete said, leaning over and kissing Rose, dropping the teddy into her lap. "But don't get in the way of the rampaging gran, either." 

"I heard that!" Jackie was still demanding her grandson.

"Hey, is it safe?" Mickey peeked round the corner. He'd left when Rose threatened to brain him with a bedpan, and hadn't dared to come back until he'd heard the baby was born. "There's the little man! Say hey to Uncle Mickey, boyo!"

The Doctor laughed as the baby cried out at all the noise, and rubbed him on the back again. "He really isn't that bad, you know," he said softly. "Not sure about your gran, though." He had no intention of releasing his son into anyone's custody yet. 

"Mum, give it a rest, yeah? The Doctor's only just got Ad himself." 

"Ad?" Three voices chorused together--the Doctor, Jackie, and Pete. "Ad?" the Doctor repeated. 

"Well, I've been thinking," she said. "Jackson Peter Adric Tyler. Or Smith, but I think Tyler--"

"No, no, Tyler is perfect." The Doctor had to sit on the edge of the bed; he hadn't really expected Rose to name her son Adric. "Rose, are you sure?"

Given the Doctor's reaction? "Yeah, I'm sure. When he gets older, he can pick Jack or Adric or Peter or Pete or whatever, but I'm sure." 

With careful, shaking hands, the Doctor eased Ad into Jackie's arms, and knelt on the floor beside Rose. He didn't say a word, just wrapped his arms around her waist and laid his head in her lap. 

Rose pushed back from the table and stroked through the Doctor's hair. She hadn't realized how much that was going to mean to him, and she leaned down to kiss the crown of his head. "Or we could just call him Adric and be done with it." 

Jackie, Pete, and Mickey exchanged glances, because they had obviously missed an important conversation given the Doctor's reactions. "Well, I like Adric," Mickey pronounced, and slapped the Doctor on the back. "Here, man, found this on the way up and thought, what the hell." When the Doctor straightened up to sit back on his heels, Mickey shoved a fat cigar in his open mouth. 

The Doctor looked at the fragrant tobacco cylinder like it was a mysterious artifact, and then put it in the inside pocket of his coat. "Thanks, thanks, thank you, Mickey, that's… ahem, very thoughtful of you." He got back on his feet and squeezed Rose's hand, and then walked over to Jackie, straight-backed and purposeful. "Jackie Tyler, Pete Tyler, Mickey Smith… I'd like you all to meet Jackson Peter Adric Tyler… our son." 

"You're gonna be holding him up over your head before long," Mickey grumped. "Might as well call him Simba."

The Doctor and Rose both laughed, eyes twinkling as they shared a brief memory. "No, that's the Lion King, but the point stands," Rose giggled out, and the Doctor's grin widened to show every tooth in his head. 

"I think you're mad, the pair--" and then the baby cried. "--the three of you. Life you're gonna lead."

"Better with two," the Doctor said, looking from Rose to Adric.

"I think you mean three." Rose pointed to herself, Adric, and the Doctor. No way she was going to let him count himself out of their little family. 

Adric started seriously crying, and the Doctor was there, taking his son and holding him against his chest. A soft coo as he stopped crying and settled against the Doctor's chest. "It's the heartbeats," the Doctor said, pride beaming out of every pore. "He likes two hearts." He looked down at the precious little bundle in his arms. "I can't wait for you to see your cot, little man. You're going to love it. Your first stars are gonna be the ones in the sky." 

"Well, I like that." Jackie's hands were on her hips, and she settled for stroking the soft down on the baby's head. 

Pete came up and stood behind Rose. He couldn't put into words how touched he was that she'd named her son after him, and all he could do was put his hand on her shoulder. 

She looked up and covered his hand with her own, squeezing tightly while watching the Doctor and Jackie squawk and quibble over the baby. Wouldn't be so terrible to stay, but she couldn't imagine it. She was ready to roam the stars, not just for herself, but to introduce Adric Tyler to the wonder and the beauty that lived in the spaces between them. 

As if reading her mind, the Doctor raised his eyes to meet Rose's across the room, and his smile was a promise as a stray sunbeam struck something metallic. Adric's fingers were already tangled into the cord of the TARDIS key, and he'd pulled the Doctor's shirt open enough to cause the flare. 

Soon enough, Rose thought, reaching out for her son. Soon enough, they'd all be in the stars together.


End file.
